A signing ceremony was held Monday afternoon at the Multipurpose Athletic Center for nine members of the Brownwood High School Class of 2026 who will continue their athletic and academic careers at the next level.

Eli Valenciano is staying close to home as he will play for the Howard Payne football program as a kicker following graduation.

Valenciano said of the opportunity to continue his football career in college, “I always wanted to play football. I had a passion for football, but being able to play at Howard Payne, I never thought it would happen. It means a lot because I have a lot of family that went there, so it’s a cool feeling.”

Regarding the decision to attend Howard Payne, Valenciano said, “It was the only summer camp I went to. I prayed to God about it one night and said ,’If you give me this offer, I’ll go to Howard Payne.’ After the camp the special teams coordinator told me he wanted to offer me, and that was just a blessing from God.”

Valenciano – who was also a member of the Lions soccer program that advanced to its first-ever regional championship match in 2026 – was a first-team all-district kicker as a senior, after earning second-team all-district honors as a kicker his junior campaign.

Reflecting on his fondest memories as a Brownwood Lion football player, Valenciano said, “Going out through the tunnel. I always dreamed about that as a kid, that was a surreal feeling. Seeing all the fans, playing with teammates, and wearing maroon and white is something I’ll never forget.”

Valenciano plans to major in Sports Management and minor in Business with a goal of eventually becoming an athletic director. “Hopefully one day I can come back to Brownwood and give back what Brownwood gave me,” Valenciano added.

Lions football head coach Jeryl Brixey said of Valenciano, “A lot of times your kickers and punters are specialists and don’t go through everything everyone else does. One thing about Eli is he went through every single workout, and was here for the entire practices. Eli was always here, always working and really did an outstanding job for us. I appreciate how hard he works and I hope for really good things for you in the future.”